Keeper of Sorts
by Geebee10
Summary: When the Turks recruit Kiera for a hush hush job, she figured things would go rather smoothly. Do as she was told, make money, rise in the ranks... well when ranks were restored. But, since when do things ever go smoothly?
1. Job Assignment

_**Note: This story is basically a retelling of On the Way to a Smile- Case of ShinRa as well as Advent Children through an OC.**_

_**FF7 obviously does not belong to me.**_

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**1 ~ Job Assignment**

When I was approached by Reno and Rude from the Turks… well... let's just say I was really surprised.

Why?

Well, how about the fact that I'm a nobody that you've probably never heard of? Even though I'm an aspiring Turk, I never quite made it, and was only noticed until everything went haywire. I'm a hard worker though and it was like my _dream_ to wear that navy blue suit! The money and influence was very… inspiring.

My name's Kiera Race, and as of this visit, I had been eighteen for the last few months. Not that you care, since you don't know me… but I thought I might as well get that out there. I grew up in Midgar, in one of the better areas under the plate, sector 5. Obviously not the one that kind of fell down on everyone, since I'm still alive and kicking.

Supposedly I'm really from Costa del Sol, but I can't remember that. I certainly had the tanned skin of someone from there, as well as straight black hair and apparently exotic eyes. Or so I've heard. Never been there myself, though I've heard it's the place to go, with its beautiful beaches and beautiful sunbathing people. My first memories that I can recall are being taken off the streets by Mrs. Race, an older woman who had lost her husband and sons to the war.

She was a nice old woman, strict and hardworking, and made sure I was too. We stayed in a small shanty house which we continued fixing up until it looked… well not anything posh, but decent enough, for someone who lived near the slums near sector 7. Which I was really, _really_ glad I didn't live in.

Enough of my past already. Let's get back to the story.

**^.^**

It was early morning when the buzzer rang in my own room flat; I was still pretty much half asleep, not really doing anything as I chugged down coffee and waited for it to kick in. I let out a yawn and scratched the back of my head with my free hand before setting down my mug and trudging to the door.

"Uhm… yes?" I asked as I peered out of the still chain latched door of my small room in Kalm. I blinked and rubbed my eyes. Was it… Woah. Even in my sleepy state I was pretty psyched but also nervous at seeing Reno of the Turks there!

"Wanna job?" he asked nonchalantly as he leaned against the railing of the stairs that lead up to my humble abode. "An' open up, yo, not gonna eat ya."

I flushed a teeny bit but complied, accidentally knocking someone. Turns out it was Rude, and the door kind of knocked him in the head. Well, why was he standing in such an awkward place anyway? I blinked as the poor guy stumbled a little but looked otherwise unfazed.

Reno wasn't even paying attention as he tapped his food. I rubbed the back of my neck. "But I do have a job, well kinda… like with you guys?"

"It's finished now, kid," said Reno with a sigh. "Ya gotta get on with the plan! I'm here givin' a good deal… I need ya as a babysitter."

"Reno," said Rude in his way too deep voice. "I don't think-"

"Keeper?" provided the red head.

"No," said Rude, shaking his head. "That's worse."

"Whatever!" whined Reno before clearing his throat. "Listen kid-"

"I'm eighteen," I said, finally awake enough to feel a little offended.

"_-Adult_," amended Reno with a huff. "I need, well, _we_ need… The _Turks_ need someone to look over Mister Shinra. You wanna help or no?"

My eyes widened at that, sleep at last completely gone. Wait, did he mean that... Rufus Shinra was alive?! Well it had to be _him_ Reno was talking about because the other one had definitely died at the hands of Sephiroth!

"I didn't know he survived!" I exclaimed, clearly surprised.

"Shhhh," said Reno, putting a finger on his lips. "Yo, it's still classified news! Now shush and listen up carefully…"

**^.^**

So, I shushed and listened to Reno explain what had happened, along with interjections from Rude who made sure the red head stayed on track. Apparently Rufus Shinra was very much alive and he was staying in a house in Kalm. Conveniently, I also happened to be staying there too, albeit in a much less refined place, I can assure you of that.

Essentially, the figuratively speaking poor man was in a bad shape. Well, getting struck by a blast from the ginormous Weapon had to have done some damage, I would think. Wouldn't make sense if he came out of that unscathed; it was a miracle enough he was actually alive!

They'd brought him over here to Kalm to recuperate, which made sense once more… I didn't think people in Midgar would want to be around the one who they probably blamed for their current misery. I wondered why the Turks didn't take him farther away… I mean there was a whole wide world and I was sure they had helicopters. Reno simply told me I didn't need to know when I asked, and Rude kept as quiet as a door.

So now, apparently I was being asked to play housekeeper to the house where Rufus freakin' Shinra was staying because Reno and Rude had to search for friends while Tseng and Elena were busy gathering intelligence.

Why they decided to pick me? I can only guess it's because a) I was conveniently close by and b) I was totally willing to work for money and seemed to have a thing for possessing that uniforms.

Besides, if anyone was going to survive this post Meteor chaos, ShinRa would. They were like cockroaches, according to my mom; they could survive anything. And I, for one, wanted to be with the survivors.

**^.^**

I was a little worried when I arrived at the house the first day. Hello, this is like being under the most powerful person in the world, or, the _ex_ most powerful person in the world. And did I say 'like'. Scratch that. He _had_ been the most powerful person. Huh. It was rather daunting. Then I realized that for the most part, he was in his bedroom. I felt sorry for him the first time I was taken to his room to meet him. I mean, who wouldn't feel sorry? He was in a wheelchair with a cast and bandages like all over. Well, not all over, but enough of them.

"I don't want to see that look in your eyes," was the first thing Rufus said to me after I was introduced by Rude as the new housekeeper.

"Pardon, sir?" I hadn't even mentioned my name yet and already a minus mark?

"That pitying look," he said coldly. I cringed inwardly. Handicapped or not, those blue eyes were intimidating, as cold as ice. "Keep that pity for someone else. I don't need you here. I'm simply pacifying my subordinates."

His ice cold gaze moved from my 5'3 frame and up to Rude, who shuffled his feet a little. I wished I could snatch his pair of sunglasses and wear them for myself.

"I apologize, sir." Might as well humble myself. Sigh.

"Good. You may leave." And that was it. Dismissed already, and I was probably happier of that than Rufus was. Well, I guess I should have expected something like that anyways.

Rude made a coughing noise to get me going. I left the room and made my way downstairs, feeling both annoyed but also relieved. I just had to keep out of his way, keep the house clean and cook food for the ex President, and my future in these worrisome times would be somewhat guaranteed.

Well that was the plan anyway.

Just as Rude opened the front door to leave, Reno popped in to add a whole lot of extra things for me to add in my duties, including changing bandages and help with putting on Rufus' clothes. He and Rude then skedaddled like children before I could say a word in refusal.

Well, this was just great. Why couldn't they just do all that sort of thing? They would come back in the evening anyways!

Still, I guess the supposed money would make it worth it.

Hopefully.

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**_Note: Thanks for reading! Please Review!_**


	2. Taken Away

**2 ~ Taken Away**

It started out like any other day, really. It was about a week since I had started working here. I woke up with the sun and quickly went about my business of using the bathroom, taking a shower and changing my clothes. Once that was done, it was time to go make breakfast. For me? Nah. For Mister ex-President upstairs. Don't get me wrong, I totally don't mind. Well not too much. I mean, the guy really can't move around much except in the wheelchair. But why did three out of the four Turks in the house seem to think that I'm supposed to cater to them too?

When they finally left, I was really relieved. Rufus usually stayed upstairs, watching life go on without him through the window. I'd help him with his bandages and clothes, pretending he was a mannequin so that, ahem, I didn't get embarrassed or stuff. After that, it was time to bring up breakfast. The day would usually go on this way, with minimal interaction.

Although I seem to complain a lot… well, maybe I'm just whiny. He wasn't really a bad sort, and besides, I knew this was a good opportunity for me. I wanted to learn how he managed to succeed in life. Well, before the downfall of course. I don't think anyone could have predicted that though, so I didn't hold it against him.

The doorbell suddenly rang while I was in the kitchen. That was a little strange, because none of the Turks would actually ring the bell; they would just unlock the door and step in. I decided to ignore it as I looked back at the sandwich I made for myself. I lifted it to have another taste when the bell rang once more. Hm, persistent door to door sellers. And then it rang again. Ugh, didn't they get the hint?

I put my sandwich down and was heading down the hall to the door when the ringing stopped. Well good for that. I turned back around and was about to return to my beloved sandwich when the sound of someone trying to break through the door came.

Fear made its way up my spine. Did someone know he was here then? Crap! If something happened while I was around, I would get the brunt of it! I hurried to the kitchen and picked up the knife I had used to slice tomatoes before turning back for the hallway, just as the glass broke, the door fell open and men rushed in.

"Who are you people?!" I demanded, trying to look intimidating. Not for the first time in my life I cursed my fate for being short. "You can't just break into my house!"

"Quit the games, sweetie," said one unsavory looking fellow as he advanced toward me. "We know he's here. Now get outta the way or you're gonna get shot."

"There's no one here but me!" I raged, holding up my knife, eyes narrowed before I let the knife fly, hitting the man between his shoulder and neck. Dammit, I missed; I had been hoping to stab his throat. He meanwhile let out a roar of pain, clutching the knife.

Before I could do anything else, there was the sound of a gunshot. I jerked back and fell to the floor, a little stunned, not realizing that I had just been shot in the arm until I tried to reach for my pocket. "Ugh!" My arm was shaking from the pain so I tried to reach in my pocket with my other hand for my cell phone. I had to tell Reno what was happening-

"No you don't," came a voice. I looked up in time to see a bat come crashing down on my face, knocking me out immediately.

**^.^**

When I came to, I didn't actually realize right away, since it was all dark. What did cause me to realize I was awake was the slowly increasing throbbing pain in my head and my arm. That was when I remembered what had happen.

I quickly tried to get up but couldn't. At first I didn't get why. Then, I tried to lift my good arm. It wouldn't move, held down by something. When I tried to move my legs, I felt that they too were tied up. That's what I was guessing anyways.

"Hello?!" I called, a little panicked as I widened my eyes, trying to get even the fleetest hint of where I was.

I regretted it instantly, because suddenly there was bright light, forcing me to shut my eyes. The sound of a door opening came next and I slowly opened my eyes, trying to see who was there. It turned out to be a man, maybe fifteen or so years older than me. He looked quite strong, like he belonged in the navy, and maybe he did because that navy blue jacket of his sure like the one they wore.

"So you're awake now," he said as he stood there, simply regarding me. "You've been out two whole days."

"Let me go!" I looked down at myself and saw that I was held fast to a wooden chair with strong ropes. "I haven't done anything!"

"You're going to hurt yourself if you keep struggling," he informed me as he walked over to… I don't know, inspect me from closer? I had no idea what was going through his mind! Well not until a moment later when he squeezed my upper arm. Yeah, the arm where I had been shot. I couldn't help but scream out; it felt like someone was stabbing and burning me at the same time.

"I told you not to struggle," continued the man as he watched the tears roll down my face with an impassive expression. "I won't hurt you if you keep calm and tell me what I want to know."

"What… what… would you want…" I managed through gasps of pain and blinding tears. "Y'already got… the President…"

The man's expression changed to something like contempt before he pulled out a knife from somewhere. I cringed when I saw it and tried to move away in vain. I was very surprised when I saw that the knife wasn't used to slice my throat but the ropes that were holding me to this chair. Was he freeing me then? Would he let me go?

Of course not. The first ropes that he sliced through were the ones binding my arms. Even as I tried to move them he grabbed both my wrists and pushed me forward so that he could hold them behind my back. I screamed once more as my injured arm was being so unceremoniously jerked about. It was obvious the bullet was still in there. Then came the sound of the click along with my sobbing as he handcuffed me.

"Stop the damn tears," growled the man as he started slicing at the ropes that bound my legs. "Disgraceful. They kept _you_ in charge of watching over Rufus Shinra? The hell were they thinking?"

How the hell would _I_ know that?! I was just supposed to be the damn housekeeper, not the Rufus keeper! Even if that's what that idiot Reno had in mind! I didn't say anything aloud though because both my head and my arm were throbbing with pain and I didn't think talking was going to help me much over here.

"Up on your feet," he ordered as he helped by grabbing the back of my shirt and yanking me off the chair before setting me on my feet. My legs were really wobbly; how long had I been sitting here? Had I really been there for two whole days? I don't know, but they were so stiff from not being used that I toppled right over to my knees.

"Get up!" ordered the man once more as he yanked once more on the back of my shirt. I held in the gasp this time and tried to stand properly. "Now walk."

Somehow I managed to make it out of the door, eyes glazed over with tears as I forced my stiff legs to move; the skin on my legs felt so tight against my muscles that it almost felt like my skin would rip, like leggings that are too tight. I continued however, trying not to stumble when he pushed me forward through a dark hallway, at the end of which seemed a door. He leaned forward and unlocked it before shoving me inside another room.

It seemed rather odd, even to someone in my confused state. Almost everything including the walls were red, as if the person who designed this place had a very horrible taste. It didn't look like something a poor person would own though, seeming expensive. Was this man some big shot then, or related to one? Or maybe he was just borrowing this place?

Not to mention some of the the extremely odd and creepy furniture, resembling human male and females, but not completely human, there was definitely monster bits there too. I swallowed hard and looked away from it, feeling as if I would throw up. All this wasn't doing any good for my head.

"I brought someone you might remember, Rufus," said the man as he shoved me down on another chair.

Rufus?! I turned my head and that's when I noticed the President. He looked suitably disheveled and injured, though his eyes remained as strong as ever. There was a shackle around his ankle that was attached to the wall he stood near.

"President," I said, voice breaking slightly, "I'm sorry I couldn't-_Urgh!_" Before my sentence was finished, the man backhanded across the face, forcing my head to whip to the side. Tears of pain immediately escaped my eyes and rolled down my face.

"Not exactly the merciful man, are you Mutten?" commented Rufus, his voice a little hoarse but otherwise familiar.

The man I know knew was named Mutton didn't say anything as he once more tied me to a chair. I couldn't help but cry out in pain when he jerked my arm, but otherwise… there was nothing I could do. I was as helpless as a child fighting a Midgar Zolom.

"You have big words, Rufus," said Mutten. I could hear the calm contempt in his tone. "Now start talking. Where are the other Turks? What are you all scheming?"

I turned my face a little too look at the ex-president. Unlike me, he looked as composed as a man in a big chair behind a desk, knowing he was all right and others were wrong. "Remove the chain from me. Only then will I tell you anything."

"I can't do that," replied Mutten, a glare in his voice.

"Then I can't tell you anything."

Mutten stayed silent before slapping me once more. Why? Can someone please tell me why the hell he just slapped me? Was I like his new punching bag or something?! Was he trying to intimidate us? Well I for one was very intimidated. Or was this to maybe soften Rufus up and have him spilling his secrets? Obviously the guy didn't know the ex-President too well.

"I'll be back tomorrow," said Mutten as he turned around and stomped out of the room, leaving the two of us alone.

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**_Note: Thanks to DaHobbit for reviews, following etc :p _**

**_Please read and review, I'll be a happy writer!_**


	3. A Little Conversation

**3 ~ A Little Conversation**

I knew Rufus was watching me, probably smirking inside, knowing there was absolutely no reason to keep me here because he wasn't going to comply to Mutten's wishes no matter how the man abused me. It kind of made me sad, to be honest, but it made sense as well. Mutten it seemed needed those plans from Rufus, so the ex-President had leverage by not saying a word until he was given his freedom.

"The Turks will be looking for me," he finally said aloud. I looked up at him into his blue eyes; as usual, they remained calm.

"Looking for you," I said, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice. "No one cares if I'm alive or dead. You're the important one, not me. If they find me, I'll probably get told off and fired." So yeah, I was being a little mouthy, but the way I saw it, I was going to be killed eventually, so I might as well.

"That is true," said Rufus, completely unfazed by my words. "They are loyal to me, not you. You meanwhile were stupid. You shouldn't have tried to take on all those men by yourself. The smart move would have been to run away and find Tseng or Rude. At the very least, my men would have some idea who to go after."

"Well excuse me for panicking in front of a mob!" I burst out, feeling tears sting my eyes. Dammit, why was I crying so much? Right, right, shot by a gun, head hit hard by a bat and, oh yeah, slapped a few times by a hand as big as my face. It kind of got to a person after a while, you know. Oh, and did I mention the lousy sympathy I was _not_ getting?

"He won't kill you," said Rufus as he looked around the horrible looking room. "Not for a while yet. He's going to see how much I can stand seeing you abused and broken." He looked back at me. His eyes weren't warm or sympathetic; they weren't cold either though. "Be prepared for anything."

"Yes President," I replied, unsure if I was sarcastic and sincere. My head slumped down, chin touching my chest as my hair fell over to cover my face. Of all the things I could've imagined happening to me… this wasn't one of them.

Dammit. I never _did_ get to wear that coveted navy blue suit either.

**^.^**

It was maybe a few hours or a day later. I was in pain and rather out of my senses, probably. I couldn't remember anything since I had last spoken to Rufus; maybe I had fallen asleep? I don't know. It was the smell though that had caught my nose's attention. Something smelled very good, and my stomach agreed as well.

I lifted my head and looked in the direction from where the smell wafted and saw a woman, maybe my mother's age, near Rufus. She had a bowl in her hand and was feeding him. I couldn't help but stare and lick my dry lips. I was hungry and thirsty and it smelled so good, whatever it was.

Once she was done, she wiped his face with what I guessed was a wet cloth, as well as his hands. She even combed his hair some before leaving it alone and turning to leave. I continued watching her, hoping maybe she would come my way.

"Feed the girl," said Rufus out of the blue. I was shocked, and somehow, even parched me seemed to be able to create tears of gratefulness that prickled my eyes. He was actually being thoughtful. Who would have thought?

"I have to follow orders," replied the woman, looking my way. Her expression seemed conflicted, as if she wanted to help but was too scared too.

"Just… a little?" I pleaded. Pleading. Ekh. How I hated it. No one liked a begging dog. But, I couldn't say I wasn't used to it even if I hated it. Living in the slums, you grew up begging and pleading even when you didn't have to. It became something of a habit.

The woman swallowed before her face clenched and she hurried away from us and quickly made her way out of the door that led to this horrible room. I let out a dejected sigh and my head slumped low. I didn't care at the moment if Rufus saw me as weak and unworthy. I _was_ weak. And I was pretty sure my arm was going to be incapacitated for a long time if they didn't do something about that damn bullet.

As if someone had read my mind, an hour or so later, someone else came down, a doctor. As I expected, he went to Rufus first to take care of his wounds. I simply closed my eyes and pretended to not even notice. I wasn't going to beg again.

Which was why I was surprised when I felt a hand on good shoulder. I opened my bleary eyes to look at the old doctor, who was speaking words that I didn't really get. He kept shaking his head, so I guess he didn't like what he saw. Hey, neither did I, so the feeling was unanimous.

He eventually took the bullet out and bandaged my arm as well as cleaned the bump on my head before forcing me to eat some pills. I admit I refused for a moment, not wanting to be knocked out. But after a moment I submitted. Being knocked out couldn't be as bad as being tied up here.

**^.^**

Surprise, surprise. There _had_ been a sleeping drug in those pills. But, apparently there had also been some painkillers in there, and when I woke up half a day later, it was still in effect. I was very surprised to find my arms weren't bound either. I wondered why.

"Finally awake," came Rufus' voice. I lifted my head and looked his way, nodding. My head fell heavy, as if I had just had a lot to drink.

"Yes, President," I replied, voice rather hoarse. My mouth was dry and when I swallowed it felt like sandpaper lined my throat.

"You can call me Rufus," he said, voice a little wry. "From the looks of it, I am not looking to be President for a while."

I lifted my good arm and brushed the hair away from my face to get a better look at him. He still had his air of cold regality, but his eyes seemed a little softer, if that was possible. Or maybe the blue was just more pleasing to the eyes than the harsh red of this room.

"You'll… be," I replied, brown eyes blinking before looking away. It wasn't just an in the moment thing to say. If anyone could do it, I was sure Rufus could. He had that kind of personality. He was cold and ruthless, but he had brains and did his share of the work. If it wasn't for him, the Turks wouldn't even be around anymore.

"I will," he said, nodding once. "I don't believe I said I have given up. I've only said it won't be for a while.

We both remained quiet for a while, each in our own world, only the sounds of footsteps upstairs as well as the complaints from my stomach breaking the silence. My mind kept wandering to life before I was picked up by Mrs. Race, my adopted mother. I'd been a thieving street rat then, managing to pick through scraps from garbage bins and scarfing them down before anyone could try and take them from me. Many times the food would be rotten and I'd end up sick.

Still… I couldn't remember the feeling until now. Having a home, a bed, simple but warm and fresh food had come with the price of forgetting how I used to feel before. Hunger like this would have been normal just ten years ago.

"Why did you accept the housekeeping job?" I looked up at Rufus, not realizing he had still been looking my way.

"Oh…" I had think about it a moment before deciding to just come out with it. "The promise… of remuneration when ShinRa is back up. And maybe… finally joining the Turks." But I didn't think either was possible at the moment.

Rufus raised an eyebrow. "So you believe that ShinRa has a chance to come back to power?"

I nodded slowly. "If anyone can… then it's ShinRa… or at least you, Pres- Rufus. You saved the Turks."

He was quiet for a while, as if analyzing all I had said. I returned to my very fun task of staring at my covered legs, thinking about nothing in particular.

"There's a water bottle near you." I looked at Rufus once more and saw him pointing to the ground next to me. "The woman put it there. It isn't a lot but it's better than nothing."

My eyes widened and I looked down. There it was! I smiled a little, dry lips cracking in the process, but I didn't care. Stretching my arm out as much as I could, I managed to grab the top of the bottle with my index and middle finger, ignoring the cramp in my arm as I brought the bottle back to me and greedily opened it.

The water was room temperature and tasted a little stale, and it smelled like it had been in there for a while. I couldn't care less. This was the drink of life for me at the moment, and I guzzled most of it down before stopping.

"Would… you like some?" I asked.

Rufus shook his head, a strange look on his face. "No, it's all yours. You would do good to drink all of it. There is no telling when you'll get more."

"Yes sir," I replied sincerely and downed the rest of the water before setting the bottle back down on the floor, letting out a huge sigh.

"Good." Rufus now seemed to have a thoughtful and calculating look on his face. He then took in a breath and let it out. "He will be coming in soon and he'll probably hurt you again. Be prepared. We'll leave eventually."

He seemed so sure that he would be found. How could he know that?

Then I realized he had said 'we'.

"Yes, Rufus," I replied, a small and contained smile on my face, even though inside I felt a rush of warmth. I would stay strong and take it on. I wouldn't let Mutten get the best of me.

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**_Note: Thanks to DaHobbit and Anna for the reviews!_**


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